Selki Borne

Selki Borne is an accomplished Sheildmaiden within Aeomayn's five hundred. She is the third eldest child of Baedred and Melkorka and the twin sister of Aedan. She is known for her skill in battle and fiery temper, being the most headstrong of Baedred's brood.

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Selki has the piercing blue eyes of her mother but her father’s raven black hair, which reaches the middle of her back when worn loose. She wears her hair in a variety of styles, favouring practicality over aesthetics, although this changes when she attends court.

Overall in look she favours her father more than her mother, and possesses a leaner frame than her mother's curves. Despite the propensity for her face to default to a very stern expression she is a very beautiful young woman, even more so when she smiles and lets her guard down.

In terms of her body she is quite well proportioned and tall, typically only bested in height by other Nordic, Altmeri and Redguard women. She possesses a lithe and athletic physique bred from years of combat, and it is clear that beneath her smooth skin are corded muscles, hinting at great skill in battle. That said, she does have the odd scar here and there from where her foes managed to get a good strike in.

Selki prefers to wear light plate forged of Sky-Forged Steel – consisting of a cuirass and pauldrons, greaves and vambraces – supplemented with chain and red leather in a scheme that almost appears to be inverted from Aeomayn's cavalry armour. Her choice of armour gives her enough protection to take a hit but enough manoeuvrability to avoid it. She wields a sturdy Nordic broadsword and roundshield. She owns a bay stallion named Jorgen.

Outside of her armour she will often wear a simple tunic and trousers and on the odd occasion a dress, her clothing having no particular colour favoured above the others. She also has a few fine dresses for special occasions and court, though she is loathe to wearing them, even though everyone agrees she looks good in them. One of her favourite pieces of clothing is a midnight coloured cloak with a detachable fur mantle, given to her by Aeomayn on her nineteenth birthday.

Selki for most part is considered one of the boys, and having spent so much time around warriors she easily fits in among them. That is not to say that she is particularly butch or lacks femeninity, but that she is more than comfortable teasing and brawling with her brothers in arms. She is a lot like Jon in that she enjoys revelry and displays of combat prowess, and is also somewhat outgoing, more so than her twin,Aedan. On the other side, she has enough courtly grace to fit in among noblewomen but she does this grudgingly, and will usually ruin the illusion with some sort of unladylike behaviour.

She can be a little bit temperamental and has no intentions of settling down just yet, although she does have quite a heavy crush onAeomayn. She feels all emotions strongly, from pleasure to pain and everything in between. Indeed, her temper is quite formidable when roused, and can range from silent fury to an all out tirade. While she is quite happy to share in joyous moments she tends to keep her problems to herself, usually confiding only in Aedan.

In battle she is brave and skilled, and enjoys the opportunity to show off her skill, although she doesn’t compete in tournaments. Her attitude toward war as a chance for glory and honour puts her in direct confrontation with her father. Indeed, she and Baedred are prone to bicker, largely because they are both as stubborn and grounded in their beliefs as each other and refuse to give ground. Ironically, it is Baedred that she takes most after, sharing his strong sense of familial loyalty.

Of all the Bornes, Selki is the best rider, easily outstripping her brothers in horse races. Though has somewhat translated into mounted combat, she isn’t as good as with the lance Jon or her father, and prefers to fight on foot. As a shieldmaiden she has an exceptional grasp of the art of the sword and shield, fighting on foot in a more graceful yet also more brutal style than Jon’s balanced - if heavy handed - combat doctrine or Baedred and Aedan’s calm restraint. Her style of battle is best described as "shock combat", hammering the foe with swift and brutal strikes that leaves the opponent little time to go on the offensive. She doesn’t have the desire to command, but will take charge of a situation if no one else is there to do so, prefering to act in a loose autonomy to achieve a set goal.

Unlike her older brothers, she has little musical or singing talent; she can carry a tune but that’s about it. She is however rather good at dancing, both alone and with a partner, something that further sets her appart from her brothers. She also enjoys and is rather good at hunting, particularly boar, and her spear thrust is something to be admired. She has some skill with the bow but is no expert, unlike Aedan, and only really uses one when hunting smaller game.

Selki earned the nickname “Baedred’s Spitfire” when she was just a girl for her fiery temper, which often led Baedred to proclaim "War is easier than daughters". Being born mere moments after Aedan, it was often joked among the Borne family that her temper arose out of jealousy of Aedan being born first, though in reality the pair experience little in the way of conflict.

From an early age it was clear that she didn’t want to be like her mother, wanting a sword instead of a sewing needle, pestle or staff. She would often sneak off to watch her father train her older brothers. When Baedred discovered this he decided to teach her the basics of self defence - after all, those who couldn't fight in Skyrim didn't tend to live very long - and how to kill a man if necessary. However, as she grew older she wanted to learn more complex techniques and it became apparent that she'd taken an interest in fighting in war. Baedred didn't approve of this - not because of her gender, but because there were already two warriors to be in his family as it was - and stated that if she wanted to learn such methods she wouldn't learn them from him. However, Aeomayn volunteered to teach her, an act which forever endeared him in Selki's eyes.

When her family became nobility she finally had the freedom and coin to pursue he dream of becoming a shieldmaiden. She bought her armour when she was only sixteen and has worn it ever since. Her sword was a gift from Aedan, given to her when she came of age (before hand she'd wielded a very simple blade). She quickly gained a reputation from a young age as a fierce warrior, often accompanying Aedan and Jon when they were sent out to deal with bandits and the like, proving herself in every battle and earned the respect of her fellows.

Selki needed little convincing when Aeomayn suggested the voyage to Northpoint, and vowed that she would follow him anywhere he ordered. Thus, she joined her family on their voyage to High Rock, hoping to prove herself again to her liege lord and family.